The Devil's Harvest Part 2 Chapter one
by ChristyK
Summary: This story continues where my other story from last Halloween 'The Devil's Harvest' ended. It might not make sense unless you know what happened in the other story. This is just a stupid little Halloween story I came up with as a sequel to the original
1. Chapter 1

If you haven't read my other story The Devil's Harvest from last Halloween this one might not make sense. It continues right after The Devil's Harvest ended. I'm hoping to have it finished by Halloween but not sure if I'll be able to.

**The Devil's Harvest Part 2**

Chapter one

**Hospital**

Van lay shivering on the examining room's table a light sheet covering his body. He had never felt this cold before. He looked over to where Billie and Deaq stood their eyes never leaving him. They looked so scared and concerned. He wished he could remember what had happened. The last thing he could remember was walking in an alley way and then waking up here lying naked on the ER's table. Billie had said he had past out in the ambulance but why he was in an ambulance in the first place he had no clue. Right now all he wanted was to get dressed and get out of here. He'd find out what happened later. He hated hospitals and wanted to be as far away from one as he could. The doctor finished his exam and then motioned Billie and Deaq to follow him out of the room.

"Why is he so cold? He can't seem to stop shivering." Billie asked. "And he's so pale."

"That could be from two reasons. First I'd say he's in shock from what you explained had happened to him and second he has a very low blood count which usually is caused by massive blood lost, but there isn't a mark on him."

"That's impossible." Billie said. "He was…"

"Disemboweled." Deaq finished her sentence. "The man was dead Doc."

"That's impossible there are no marks on him other then a few cuts and scrapes."

"We can't explain it doctor, but we both saw him sliced opened, and then he…just healed, right in front of us." She knew how crazy she must sound to him.

"Could it have been it some kind of sick trick or illusion or something?"

"No Doc. I was right next to him. I saw the blade go in him." Deaq answered. "He pushed it all the way in then started slicing him open." Deaq swallowed hard. "I watched my partner die Doc."

"Well, I can't explain it. All I know is that he appears to be a man who has lost a significant amount of blood but from where I don't know. He has a few old scars on him and a few minor cuts but nothing that would explain why his blood count is so low."

"What can you do for him?"

"I'm going to pump blood into him, which will certainly warm him up and should stop the shivering. Then I'd like to keep him over night for observation. More then likely he can go home in the morning."

"Can we see him again?" Billie asked.

"Sure." The doctor turned and held the door open for them as they reentered the ER and walked over to Van's bed.

"Hey." Deaq said smiling down at Van.

"What's going on?" Van asked looking back and forth between them.

"What do you remember?" Billie asked.

Van thought for a few seconds.

"Just walking in an alley way. I think Jason was there but I'm really not sure."

"He was there. He led you into a trap."

Van shook his head back and forth.

"I can't remember."

"You don't remember the ceremony?" Deaq asked.

"What ceremony?" Van was beginning to get scared. What had happened to him and why couldn't he remember it.

"Look Van, why don't you get some rest. The doctor wants to give you a transfusion just to build you up and then he said you can probably go home in a few days." Billie could see the fear and confusion in Van's eyes and didn't want to explain to him what had happened until he was fully recovered. She also didn't want him going home tomorrow and hoped to talk the doctor into keeping him for a few days.

"Transfusion? Why do I need a transfusion?" He felt fine, well maybe just a little weak but… Had he been shot and if he had why didn't he feel it?

"He said you need one to build your blood count back up. You're a little weak right now and he wants you a little stronger before he'll release you."

"What happened to me?" He looked at Deaq.

Deaq looked over at Billie who shook her head slightly not wanting Van to see, but he had still caught it.

"What's going on? Will one of you tell me?" Van started to push himself up on the litter. He immediately felt the room start to spin and lay back down.

Billie put her hand on Van's shoulder.

"When you're released we'll go over everything with you."

"Deaq?" Van hoped Deaq would tell him something, but he was wrong.

"You heard the boss. We'll explain everything once you're released."

"Now you get some rest and don't give the nurses a hard time." Billie said as they started out of the examining room. They both hated to leave him but knew he needed to rest and also the doctor needed to type his blood and get him hooked up to an IV.

**Waiting room**

"You go home Billie. I'm staying here with Van. After what happened I don't want to leave him alone."

"I'm going to post guards Deaq. You look beat, you really should get some rest yourself."

"I'll have a cot put in Van's room tonight. I just don't trust it Billie…They just might come for him."

"Okay Deaq, but I want you to try and get some rest." She understood that Deaq would want to stay close to his partner after witnessing what had been done to him, and she also knew that she was needed out on the streets to try to help track down the members of the coven that had escaped.

**Later that night**

Deaq sat by Van's bed, his head back against the back of the chair sound asleep. A large IV bag of blood next to Van dripped the much needed blood into his arm. He moaned softly as strange visions kept going through his head as he slept.

_Laughing faces kept circling him, blood dripping from their mouths while hands reached out for him ripping at his clothes. A man with a red robe approached him, a large knife held high in his hands, his eyes like two red coals burned in his face. Two sharp teeth protruded from his mouth. Van tried to back away but he couldn't move he could only stand and watch. The man's hand came down ripping the knife into him spilling his guts all over his hands. He threw his head back and screamed in pain and horror as other robed figures gathered around him and began consuming his insides._

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

**The Devil's Harvest part 2**

Chapter two

Deaq flew out of his chair at the sound of his partner's scream and drew his gun.

"What! What's the matter!" He shouted as he pointed his gun around the room looking for an intruder. The guard at the door also ran into the room his gun drawn.

Van had sat up in bed his body drenched in sweat, his heart pounding.

"Wow, that was some dream."

"That was a dream? Damn Van you scared about ten years off of my life." He looked over at the guard. "It's okay."

The guard nodded and left.

"Sorry." Van looked at Deaq. "Hey, why the gun?...Look Deaq, I want to know what's going on."

"Can't this wait till Billie's here?"

"Deaq, I'm not a kid. I don't need my mommy here to hold my hand. Just tell me what's going on."

"Well, what do you remember?"

"I remember we were looking for some jerk running around butchering people…. And I remember we had separated and I was in an alley and all of a sudden Jason showed up…that's about it. Next thing I remember I woke up here."

Deaq wasn't sure how much to tell him. Actually he wasn't even sure how to explain what had happened. How Van had been ripped open by that man and had died in front of him on a table surrounded by witches. Or how some strange white dog seemed to breathe life back into him and heal his wounds. Yeah, how was he going to explain that to his partner he wondered? He decided to give him an edited version.

"Well…" Deaq started. "You were drugged and captured by a cult. They were going to sacrifice you and …well, we saved you." Deaq knew that wasn't exactly true. They hadn't saved him. He had been killed and that dog had somehow brought him back to life. He knew that sounded insane but that is what he and the officers at the scene had witnessed.

"That's it?"

"Pretty much so."

"Why can't I remember any of it?"

"Like I said, you were drugged."

"But you'd think I would remember something."

"They were powerful drugs Van. Just be thankful you're alive and it's all behind us." Deaq prayed that was right. That what had happened was indeed behind them and that the coven had broken up or moved on to another city.

"So what happened?"

"What do you mean?"

"Did you bust this guy? Were they the ones that were involved in the murders?"

"We're pretty sure they're connected to the murders but ….no, we didn't get all of them."

"So that's why there is a guard outside my room. You think they'll come back to finish the job."

"The guard is only there for precaution, nothing more."

"Deaq, why did they choose me?"

"Jason was involved. I guess he has a beef with you or something, and he set you up."

"Oh."

"That's it 'Oh'?" Deaq was surprised Van didn't ask a million questions. Maybe he's just tired he thought.

"For now." Van gave a little smile then settled back down on the bed.

"You said you had a dream, what was it about?"

Van laughed.

"Just some wild dream about this…this vampire or something attacking me. He ripped me open and then he and his friends starting eating my guts while I was still alive. Pretty weird huh? Must be an after affect of the drugs I guess."

"Yeah, must be." Deaq couldn't believe how close Van was to the truth. He looked at the clock on the wall, it was three AM. Somewhere he remembered that three AM was the witching hour. He immediately felt a sudden chill and took a deep breath to calm his nerves. He had to hold it together. They were safe in a hospital four stories up with a guard sitting outside their door. There was nothing to worry about. He looked back down at Van who now had his eyes shut in an attempt to fall back to sleep and decided to try and get some sleep too. But as he turned toward his cot his eyes were drawn to the window. His eyes widened and his mouth fell open in horror. Peering in the window at him were four red eyes.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks for the reviews.

**Devil's Harvest part 2**

Chapter three

"Oh my God!" Deaq said as he backed away staring at the eyes.

Van sprang up in his bed, then winced as he accidentally pulled the IV tube out of his arm and blood began dripping onto his sheets.

"What's the matter?"

Deaq glanced at him then back at the window. The eyes were gone.

"I…I thought I saw something."

"What?"

Deaq shut his eyes for a few seconds. He knew he was tired, maybe he had imagined it. After all they were four stories up.

"What did you see Deaq?"

"Nothing, I just…" He walked over to Van. "I guess hearing about your dream had me imagining things." He gave a nervous little laugh. He looked down at Van's sheet as it slowly turned red from the absorbed blood from the dripping tube. "Let me get someone in to fix that." He pressed the button on the wall to summon the nurse.

Van sat in bed starring at the dripping blood. He touched his fingers to it then brought them up to his mouth where he licked the blood off.

"What are you doing?" Deaq asked clearly disgusted.

"Huh?"

Deaq pointed at his fingers.

"The blood…what are you doing?"

Van looked at him confused; he had no idea what he was talking about.

"You were…you were licking the blood off of your fingers."

Van looked at his hand for a few seconds then wiped the remaining blood on his sheet in disgust.

"Boy, I must really be tired, I didn't even realize I was doing that."

"You sure you're okay?" Deaq asked seeing a flash of fear in his partner's eyes.

"Yeah…just all this talk about cults and stuff. I guess I'm just…just…" Van didn't know what to say. He didn't know why he had tasted the blood. All he knew was that he liked the taste and that scared him. He lay back down on the bed.

Just then the nurse came in, reattached Van's IV tube, and then changed the bloody sheets. She then checked his blood pressure and left.

"Look, we're both tired. We had a rough week. Let's try and get some sleep." Deaq said.

"Yeah…okay." Van lay back in the bed and tried to tear his eyes off of the blood dripping from the bag into the tube. He finally managed to shut his eyes. Deaq was right, they were just tired.

Deaq pulled his cot closer to Van's bed. He couldn't shake the eerie feeling he was having. He glanced over at the window and was relieved when he didn't see anyone looking back at him. It was just his imagination he told himself. But instead of lying down on the cot, he sat back in the chair. There was no way he was going to sleep tonight.

**The next morning**

Deaq jolted awake as he heard someone moving around the room.

"Hey, take it easy partner." Van said smiling down at him. He was already up and dressed.

Deaq stood up, upset that he had fallen asleep.

"What are you doing?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why are you dressed?"

"I'm going home."

"You can't go home yet. You were…" Deaq cut off his words.

"What?"

"You need to be checked out." Deaq quickly said. He didn't know how to tell Van that he had been dead only a short time ago. He had seen him die right in front of him. He had watched in horror as the leader of the cult had thrust a knife into his partner and sliced him open. But he had also watched him heal right in front of him. Right now none of it seemed real.

"I was checked out. The doctor said I just needed a little blood to build up my blood. Well, I got that last night. The doctor was in this morning while you were sleeping and said I'm free to go. There's nothing wrong with me."

"Does Billie know?"

"I'll call her when I get home." Van looked at Deaq confused as to why he seemed so concerned about him leaving the hospital. "What's the big deal Deaq? I'm fine. I just want to go home."

"Well I really think you should stay here for a few days, just to be sure."

"Sure? Sure of what? The Doc said I'm fine." Van walked over and stood in front of Deaq. "What's wrong Deaq? Why do you want me to stay? What's going on?"

The confused look on Van's face hurt Deaq but how was he going to tell his partner that he had seen him die and then mysteriously brought back to life. He knew he'd have to tell him sooner or later but not here.

"Okay, look, let's just get you home then I'll tell you what happened."

"Okay, let's go." Van left the room and Deaq followed. They stopped at the nurse's station so Van could sign the release forms and then headed for the elevator.

Van slowed down only once as they headed for the elevator. He slowed down at the third door to the left of the elevator. A small smile on his face as he read the words above the door, 'Blood Supply'.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

**Devil's Harvest Part 2**

Chapter four

**Van's Apartment **

"Okay let's hear it, what happened?" Van said as he handed Deaq a beer.

"Well, I'm not really sure myself anymore….Like I said you were kidnapped by a cult. Jason was involved. You and I were searching for the person responsible for the killings and we had separated to check out different alleys when he and some other cult members grabbed you. Guess the guy really hated you."

"Yeah, I guess so. Go on."

"Well, they took you into the basement to sacrifice you. They must have given you some kind of paralyzing drug because you couldn't move. He then….cut your neck and left your blood run into a bowl. They then dipped bread into it and ate it. They made me eat a piece too." Deaq hesitated as the horrible memories came back to him. "Then they…" Deaq swallowed hard before continuing. "Then he plunged a knife into you and …sliced you open."

Van looked at Deaq like he was nuts.

"But that's impossible; I don't have a mark on me."

"I know, but it gets even weirder…This strange white dog came into the chamber and healed you. Some kind of white mist came out of his mouth and went into you. He brought you back to life and then…somehow your wound…just closed on its own." Deaq knew how impossible that sounded.

"Real funny Deaq. You expect me to believe that?" Van gave a small laugh.

"No, I'm having a hard time believing it myself, but I saw it Van. It happened. Ask Billie she saw you lying dead on that table too.

"You're serious aren't you?" Van said as a cold chill went up his spine as he looked at Deaq's face.

"Yeah partner, that's why I wanted you to stay in the hospital…You were…dead Van."

"Well…" Van didn't know what to say. "I feel fine now."

"Well let's keep it that way. I really think you should stay with me or at the Candy Store till we round up this cult."

"Look Deaq, I'm fine. Now that I know what I'm up against, I'll watch my back. And you better watch yours too."

"Van I really…"

"Deaq, I don't need a babysitter." Van interrupted him.

"Billie is going to be pissed. You better call her and tell her you left the hospital and that I told you what had happened to you."

"I will…." Suddenly Van just wanted Deaq out of his apartment. "Well, thanks for the lift home. I'm going to take it easy the rest of the day so you might as well take off."

"Van I really think I should stay or you should come with me. I don't like leaving you here alone. You're not safe; they may come looking for you."

"If they do I'll be ready for them. Now go home and get some rest, you look beat."

"Van…"

Van walked over and opened the door.

"I appreciated the concern Deaq but I'm fine. Now go home, get a little rest,"

Deaq looked down shaking his head.

"I don't like this partner. We should stick together."

"Out." Van said stepping back. Deaq reluctantly walked over to the door. "See you tomorrow at the Candy Store partner." Van added patting Deaq on the back. "And thanks for staying with me last night."

"Watch your back." Deaq said as he left, he knew it would be useless to argue with him. "And don't go out."

"I'm not planning to."

"Or leave anyone in."

"Yes Dad." Van said smiling. "Will you quit worrying and get out of here."

Deaq gave Van a little smile and left. He knew Van would be expecting him to keep an eye on his apartment and also know his partner would be mad at him if he did, but he didn't care. He wouldn't be able to relax until all the members of the cult were either dead or behind bars. He got in his car and parked across the street. He knew there were other ways in and out of the building and he realized he couldn't watch all the exits but at least he could keep an eye on the front and side of the building.

**Inside Van's apartment **

Van sat on his sofa his elbows on his knees, his head in his hands. He squeezed his eyes shut trying to get the strange thoughts out of his head. _What is happening to me?_ He wondered. He got up and walked over to a window and looked down to the sidewalk. He watched as a young girl walked slowly by with her dog. Van licked his lips then ran the back of his hand over his mouth. In his mind he saw himself following the girl then pulling her into a dark alley. He then slit her throat and began drinking her blood. He pushed himself away from the window in horror, his heart pounding.

"What the hell is going on with me?" He said out loud to himself.

He was scared, more scared then he had ever been. He slowly backed into the kitchen wishing he hadn't made Deaq leave. As he backed up his hand came in contact with a small knife which he picked up. He stood staring at it for a few minutes then brought it down to his wrist and made a small deep cut, it began to bleed immediately. He brought his wrist up to his mouth and began to suck on the bleed. A feeling of calmness came over him but it didn't last long. He knew what he needed but he also knew Deaq was probably outside guarding the building. He went out in the hallway and headed for the back stairwell. Once outside he looked up and down the street and when he didn't see Deaq, he headed off down a nearby alley.

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

**The Devil's Harvest part 2**

Chapter five

**The next morning **

Deaq and Van showed up at the Candy Store at the same time. Van ran over to Deaq as he got out of his car.

"Hey."

"Hey." Deaq said yawning.

"Didn't get enough sleep?" Van said grinning.

"Guess not."

"Well, next time get some sleep instead of staying up all night watching my building."

"You knew?"

"Yeah." Van said smiling.

"So you were in there taking it easy, relaxing, eating, while I was outside miserable?"

"Yep."

"Well thanks a lot. The least you could have done was order me a pizza."

"Hey, I wasn't suppose to know you were there." Van patted Deaq on the back and headed for the Candy Store's door.

Inside, they headed straight for Billie who was sitting at her desk. She looked up, clearly relieved to see them.

"Well it's nice you finally decided to check in." She looked back and forth between them. "You seem to have gotten your color back." She said to Van.

"Yeah, I took it easy yesterday and had a good meal."

"Well I wish one of you would have called and told me you were released. I went to the hospital yesterday and was told you checked yourself out."

"You didn't call her?" Deaq asked turning to Van.

"I was going to but…I guess I fell asleep and slept through the night."

"I really wanted you to say a few days, just so they could check you out thoroughly."

"Billie, Deaq told me what had happened to me. I can't explain it either but…I'm fine. There is nothing wrong with me."

"You told him everything?" Billie looked at Deaq.

"Yeah Billie."

"I thought we were going to do that together when we were sure he was okay?"

"It's not Deaq's fault Billie, I made him tell me."

"Well I wish you would have stayed in the hospital and just rested for awhile."

"The doctor examined me in the morning and said I was fine. Good as new." He said smiling.

Billie glanced over at Deaq.

"He seems fine to me Billie." He assured her.

As far as she could tell Van looked and acted like his old self. She couldn't believe only a few days ago she was looking at his mutilated body. She wondered if it had been some kind of sick illusion or something. Maybe they would never know.

"Well then we still have a murderer out there and we need everyone we can out on the streets looking for him. How do you feel about getting back out there?"

"The sooner the better Billie." Van said.

"Yeah, let's get these freaks." Deaq added.

"I don't understand what happened the other day, maybe we never will, but I want you both to watch your backs and stay together. Everything you do, you do together." She handed them a picture of Jason that she had pulled from the police file to show on the streets. "I'm not expecting you to be together twenty four / seven but when you go home at night lock your doors and stay in. I want you to take turns picking each other up, and when you're on the streets you don't leave each other's side. Understood?"

"We'll be careful Billie, don't worry." Van said.

**Outside the Candy Store **

"Well where do we begin?" Deaq asked. "Jason's home?"

"Nah, Jason's house is under surveillance, I don't think he'll go back."

"Then how 'bout we get some breakfast over near where he lives and maybe someone there might know him or know one of his friends and can give us a lead."

"It's worth a try."

**Morgan's Diner**

They pulled in at a small restaurant a few blocks from where Jason lived and sat down at a small table. When the waitress came over Deaq ordered eggs and bacon and Van ordered coffee. They showed her Jason's picture and were told he had eaten there once in a while but always by himself and she didn't know of any friends that he might have. She said she was sorry she couldn't help, then gave them coffee and went to place Deaq's order.

"That's all you're having, coffee?" Deaq asked.

"I'm not hungry."

"Hey, you got to keep up your strength partner." Deaq said as he reached for a newspaper lying on an empty table next to them.

"I'm fine, but for some reason even the thought of food turns my stomach right now."

"Well if that continues you better tell the doctor, maybe he can give you something."

"It's no big deal, probably just smelling that hospital food turned me off it for a while."

Deaq gave a little laugh as he started reading the headlines.

"Probably, that stuff is pretty bad." He said then folded the paper in half when he saw something that interested him. "Now why would someone do that?" He said as he read the article.

"What?"

"Some one broke into the hospital's blood bank and stole about ten bags of blood. What would they want with all that blood?" Deaq shook his head as he went onto another article.

Van swallowed hard and sat back in his chair as a cold chill shot through him. Images of going to the hospital and pulling out his small lock picking kit flashed through his mind. He took a deep breath as he remembered picking the lock and shoving as many bags of blood as he could into his duffle bag. His hands shook as he reached for his coffee. He squeezed his eyes shut but couldn't shut out the memories of opening one of the bags at home and pouring it into a glass then drinking it. He quickly put the coffee down but not before splashing the hot contents on his hand. _What the hell is happening_ _to me?_ He wondered.

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

**The Devil's Harvest part 2**

Chapter six

"You okay?" Deaq asked.

"Yeah, just clumsy." Van said as he mopped up the spilled coffee.

"You sure, you look a little pale?"

"I'm fine."

"You don't look fine partner." Deaq said as he put his paper down. "Maybe you should take it easy for a day or two."

"Look Deaq I'm fine. It's just a little spilled coffee." He said starting to get irritated.

"Okay, okay." Deaq held up his hands.

The waitress brought Deaq's meal and refilled their coffees.

"Just eat Deaq and don't worry about me." Van said as he turned his head away from Deaq's food. Just smelling it was making him sick. When he couldn't stand it any longer he stood up and threw a couple of dollars on the table. "Take your time, I'm going out to get some air."

He ignored Deaq's worried look and started to head outside but turned into the men's restroom. He leaned over the toilet and threw up. He stepped back and looked in horror at the bowl full of blood. He wiped the front of his hand across his mouth just as Deaq walked in behind him.

"You okay?"

Van jumped a little at the sound of Deaq's voice.

"Sorry I didn't mean to…" Deaq saw the blood on Van's hand. "What the hell's going on partner?" His face reflected his concern, but his eyes widened in shock as he got a quick look in the bowl just before Van quickly flushed it and stood in front of it. "Was that blood?"

"No,no,no…um ….uh…tomato juice. I uh…had tomato juice for breakfast and it must have been bad."

"Oh…you had me worried there for a minute."

"Let's get out on the street and get these guys." Van said as he turned and left.

Deaq stood watching him as an uneasy feeling came over him. He couldn't put his finger on it but he knew something wasn't right. He pinched the bridge of his nose trying to get rid of the feeling but it wouldn't leave him. All he could do was keep a watchful eye on Van and pray his feelings were wrong. He followed his partner outside.

They drove around for the next few hours checking with informants and stopping at various clubs and restaurants flashing Jason's picture. Just when they were ready to head back to the Candy Store Deaq spotted someone who he thought was Jason walking across the street.

"I think that's him!" Deaq said as he did a U turn and followed him.

Just as Jason turned into an alley way two large Rottweilers came out of no where and ran into the traffic. The car in front of them swerved to avoid the dogs and hit an oncoming car head on. Jason continued down the alley seemingly unaware of what had just happened.

Deaq quickly called 911 then he and Van jumped out of their car and ran over to help the injured. Each ran to a different car. As Deaq helped the people in his car he glanced over at the SUV that Van was working on and could see flames coming out from under the hood and knew the car could explode at any minute.

"Van, keep an eye on that engine!" Deaq yelled a warning over to his partner. His victim didn't seem to be as bad off as Van's but he couldn't leave him because the man was bleeding badly from a cut artery in his leg and Deaq knew he couldn't take the pressure off of his leg or the man would bleed to death. He yelled for someone to help him but the people who gathered either were too scared to help or didn't want to become involved.

Van waved a hand back to indicate that he had heard him but all he was concerned about right now was getting the woman out of the vehicle.

A few minutes later Deaq watched in horror as the fire from the engine slowly snaked its way toward the gas tank. The SUV looked like it was fully involved and he winced as he heard the terrified screams of the trapped woman.

"Van it's going to blow get out of there!" He yelled over as he watched his partner crawl into the vehicle. There was no way he was going to be able to save the woman, not with the way the fire was spreading. "Van get out of there!" A movement to the side of the van caused him to look away for a few seconds. Standing there was a pure white German Shepherd. _Oh my_ _God it can't be!_ Deaq's mouth dropped open. It was the same dog that had seemed to breathe life back into his partner after he had died. The dog looked at him then looked toward his partner.

"Van!" Deaq screamed as the entire SUV went up in flames. Deaq turned his head away from the scene not wanting to watch his partner burn to death. When he heard the crowd cheering he turned back. His partner was walking toward him carrying the women. Both had been singed slightly by the fire but neither had any burns that would require hospitalization. He looked past Van and noticed that the dog was now gone. He shook his head slightly, maybe he had just imagined it. "You okay?"

"Yeah, how 'bout you?" Van said as he put the woman down.

"Yeah, I'm fine but…I saw you disappear into that inferno. How the hell did you get out of there without some major burns?"

"I don't know…" Van said shaking his head, he too couldn't believe it. "I just know I couldn't let her burn to death. How's your vic doing?" Van said leaning in the window. When he saw the blood from the man's leg a horrible hunger came over him and he fought the urge to touch it. He quickly pulled back and stood outside the door.

"He'll be okay I think once the paramedics get here."

"Do you really think that that was Jason?"

"It looked like him but…I'm not positive. Hey…what ever happened to those two dogs that caused all this?"

"They must have gotten hit. I didn't see them take off."

"Then they must be around here somewhere."

Van surveyed the scene but the bodies of the two dogs were no where in sight. The sound of sirens filled the air as the police and paramedics arrived simultaneously. After the paramedics took over the care of Deaq's victim, he walked over and stood next to Van.

"I can't see how those dogs avoided being hit. They ran right out in front of the cars." Van said.

"It's as if they just disappeared." Deaq looked up and down the street then looked at Van. "Did you see the white dog?"

"What white dog?"

"When you were going into the van a white dog was standing next to it. Van…I think it was the same dog that…well, that seemed to have saved your life before."

"This is really weird. Two black dogs that vanish, then a white dog appears and disappears too. What's going on Deaq?"

"I wish I knew."

"Well, if it was Jason he's long gone by now." Van said as he looked down the alley that Jason had walked into. "It's been a long day, why don't you take me home and we can get a fresh start in the morning."

"Yeah,I'd like to go home and wash up." Deag said as he looked down at his bloody clothes.

"Let's go." Van quickly walked toward the car. He was starting to feel weak and the sight and smell of the blood was making him hungry.

**Van's apartment**

They pulled in front of the apartment building and Van got out. Deaq leaned over to the passenger's side and looked at Van through the open window.

"Hey would you mind if I came in and washed up?"

"Um…no, come on in." Van said. He had hoped Deaq would have gone right home. He was so hungry and was beginning to feel weaker by the minute, he knew what he needed. But knew if he would have told Deaq he couldn't stop in he would have been suspicious.

Once inside Van threw Deaq a towel and gave him some clean clothes to put on. Then as soon as Deaq headed for the shower Van opened the refrigerator and pulled out one of the bags of blood. He was pouring it into a glass when Deaq came around the corner.

"Hey, do you have a pair of socks…" Deaq's mouth dropped open in horror when he saw what Van was about to do. "What the hell are you doing!"

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

Once more thanks for the reviews. I appreciate each of them.

**The Devil's Harvest part 2**

Chapter seven

"What the hell are you doing!" Deaq repeated as he walked toward Van.

Van spun around holding both the bag of blood and the half filled glass.

"Get away from me Deaq!" Van said backing up. He knew he needed the blood and he couldn't let Deaq stop him.

"My God Van what's going on?"

Van kept backing up as he raised the glass to his mouth.

"I need it Deaq, I'll die without it." He took a swallow and immediately felt a little stronger.

"God, what did they do to you?" Deaq said as he inched his way over to the refrigerator and opened it. The stolen bags of blood covered the shelves. "Oh partner." Deaq said sadly shaking his head as he turned back to Van.

"Just leave Deaq. Please just leave." Van's voice cracked with emotion as he looked at his partner's concerned face.

"I can't do that partner. You need help." He walked slowly toward him. "Now give me the glass."

"No…stay back!...Deaq…please just stay back!."

"Let me help you Van." Deaq put his hand out.

"You can't help me. Nobody can."

"Let me try, please partner, let me try."

Tears ran down Van's face.

"Oh God Deaq I'm scared. I don't know what's happening to me."

Deaq quickly stepped next to Van and took the glass out of his hand and put it on a counter. He caught his partner as he collapsed and lowered him gently to the floor. He sat next to him and pulled him into a tight hug.

"I got you partner, I got you." He said as his eyes filled up.

"Deaq what am I going to do?"

"Well first we got to got to get you to a hospital, then call Billie."

"No! I can't go to a hospital! I can't get locked up!"

"You have to Van. We have to find out what is happening to you. They can treat you."

"Treat me! For what? How do you treat someone who has …horrible thoughts…thoughts or ripping the throats out of people and … and drinking their blood." He gave a little laugh. "How do you treat someone like that Deaq, you tell me how?"

"They'll find a way Van."

"No!" Van pushed Deaq away. "I can't live like this Deaq." He got up and walked over to the glass of blood. He picked it up and started raising it to his lips, but suddenly turned and threw it against the wall in disgust. "Oh God, I don't want to do this." He said then walked toward the door.

Deaq jumped up and blocked his path. Van looked to Deaq like a trapped animal, his eyes wild as they darted back and forth looking for a way out.

"Get out of my way Deaq!" He screamed.

"Can't do that partner." Deaq said softly trying not to further agitate him.

"Damn it Deaq move!"

"Van I want to help you… Just calm down we'll get through this."

"There is no getting through this Deaq don't you understand! Right now all I want to do is kill you! Van sobbed out. "It's taking all my strength not to."

"You don't want hurt me Van. I'm your partner, your friend. I only want to help you." He put his hand out toward Van.

"Don't touch me!" Van screamed pulling away. "Just let me out of here!"

"Where is it you want to go partner?" Deaq asked.

"Out there!" he swung his hand toward the window. "I just need to get out of here!" Van began pacing back and forth in front of Deaq like a caged animal.

"I can't let you Van. You got to come with me. We'll go to the Candy Store and talk to Billie. You'll be safe there."

Instead of answering him Van ran suddenly toward him. Deaq quickly stepped to the side and pulled him down. They wrestled on the floor for a while before Van managed to escape. Deaq quickly stood up and blocked the door, he couldn't let his partner leave.

Van could feel himself growing weaker. He knew he needed either the blood in the refrigerator or he would have to find a new source. He looked at his partner and could see the vein in his neck throbbing. All he had to do was slice him open and he could drink his fill. He tried to shake the thought from his head but he couldn't.

"Get out of here Deaq before I hurt you."

"You won't hurt me Van. We're friends, you wouldn't hurt a friend."

"Please Deaq just get out of here!" He pressed the heels of his hands against his temples. He could tell he was losing it. "Deaq, please!"

When Deaq didn't move Van did the only thing he could think of. He ran over to the window and dove through it. Shards of glass flew everywhere.

Deaq looked on in horror as the window exploded and Van fell three stories to the pavement below.

"Noooo!" He screamed as he ran to the window.

Van lay crumpled on the pavement below is a small pool of blood.

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

**Devil's Harvest Part 2**

Chapter eight

"Van!" Deaq screamed as he leaned out the window. He watched as people gathered around his injured partner. "Don't move him!" He yelled down to them.

He dialed 911 from Van's phone then ran outside and knelt next to his partner. Van lay on his back, a small trickle of blood ran from the corner of his mouth. A slow growing pool of blood lay under his head and one arm.

"Van." Deaq said as he picked up his hand.

Van moaned softly and rolled his head to the side.

"Lay still Van, help's on the way."

"D…..Deaq?"

"Yeah buddy it's me. Damn it Van why did you do it?" Deaq blinked back tears as he looked at the ever growing pool of blood.

"Ohhhhhhh." Van moaned.

"Just breathe easy, help will be here soon." Deaq gently examined the cut on Van's arm. It was deep and jagged and was bleeding profusely. He removed his belt and tied it around Van's upper arm. He then pulled the belt tight.

Van's eyes flew open and he cried out in pain.

"Oh God…" He moaned rolling his head back and forth.

"I'm sorry partner, but I have to keep pressure on this wound."

"Deaq…you got to….you got to let me die. Deaq please…just let me die."

"No way partner."

"You don't understand…" Van looked into Deaq's eyes. "I'm going to kill someone if you don't"

"No you won't. I'll stay with you. The doctor will find a cure for this."

"A cure!" Van gave a weak laugh. "The only cure for this is death…mine."

"Well I'm afraid that's not going to happen any time soon partner. We're getting you through this." It was then Deaq noticed the same two large black dogs from the accident standing behind the gathering crowd. His hand instinctively started reaching for his gun. If the Rottweilers made any move toward the crowd or his partner he wouldn't hesitate to shoot. As if reading his mind the dog's lips curled back exposing long fangs. They then turned as one and ran off. Deaq glanced around at the crowd but no one else appeared to have seen the dogs. _What the hell was_ _going on?_ He wondered. When he looked back down at Van he could tell that he too had seen the dogs. Van looked at him and he could see the fear in his eyes.

"Deaq…be careful…You got to watch your back…I'm not going to be there to watch it for you."

"What's that suppose to mean? You're going to be around for a long time partner."

"Just…just be careful…please, just be careful."

Deaq could hear the sirens approaching. As he looked at Van he was taken back by the worry and concern for him in his partner's eyes. He was glad the ambulance would be there soon. He wanted his partner off the street and safe in the hospital.

**The hospital**

As soon as Van was safely loaded into the ambulance Deaq called Billie. He didn't tell her what had happened only that Van had been injured and taken to the hospital. He was in the waiting room when she arrived.

"What happened Deaq?" She asked walking over to him.

He quickly filled her in on everything that had happed since they left the Candy Store. She listened to him shaking her head every now and then, her eyes wide in disbelief.

"He drank blood and then jumped out the window!"

"Yeah, and those two dogs appeared again…Billie what the hell is going on?"

"I wish I knew Deaq."

"It's those damn Devil worshipers Billie. They're still after him."

"Well they're not going to get him. I don't want him alone for a minute. What did you tell the doctor?"

"Only that Van's window was stuck and that when he tried to force it open he leaned against it and fell through."

"Okay, let's leave it at that for the moment."

A short time later the doctor walked into the waiting room and gave them a small smile.

"As far as I can tell he should be fine. I want to keep him a day or two though just for precaution because he seems a little weak. He has a gash on the back of his head and a nasty cut on his arm which nicked an artery. If you hadn't put the tourniquet on he might have bleed to death. Actually for falling that far he was very lucky. I will have to file a police report due to the nature of the accident."

"No need for that." Billie said as she pulled her shield out. "We'll take care of it."

"Okay…Well as soon as we move him into a room you can see him.

**Later in Van's room**

Van lay in his bed shivering, his skin pale and cold. Even though the nurse brought in more blankets he couldn't shake the cold. The doctor was called in to check on him.

"I can't understand it, there's nothing wrong with him." He said after examining him. "I don't know why he's so cold and he's also seems to be getting weaker."

"He needs blood." Deaq blurted out.

"Blood? The doctor looked at him oddly. "He didn't have any injuries that required a blood transfusion. Even though he had a significant blood loss, it wasn't enough to require blood."

"Doctor, just trust me…" Deaq said.

"Would it hurt if you gave him blood and he didn't really need it?" Billie asked.

"No, but…"

"Well then could you please just give him the blood and see if it improves his condition?"

"Well…it's a strange request but…okay, I'll have an IV hooked up." The doctor looked back and forth between them, not sure what was going on but decided to play along with them since the additional blood wouldn't cause any harm to his patient.

As soon as the doctor left Van reached out to Deaq.

"Deaq please…just let me go…just let me die."

"I'm sorry I can't do that partner."

"Please, I don't want to live like this."

Billie walked over and put her hand on Van's shoulder. Her face was etched with worry as she felt his ice cold skin.

"My God Van you're freezing." She said as she pulled the covers up to his shoulders.

As soon as she touched him an image flashed in Van's mind of Billie lying in bed sleeping and of him jumping on top of her and ripping her to shreds. He watched in horror as he began consuming her organs. He squeezed his eyes shut trying to get the image out of his mind. When he opened them a single tear ran down his face. _What's happening to me? Where are these thoughts coming from?_

"Billie…" He swallowed hard as he looked at her concerned face. "You got to get out of here Billie…Please."

"Why? What's wrong Van?"

Van looked over at Deaq.

"Deaq…get her out of here."

"Maybe its best if you step outside for a little while Billie." Deaq said seeing the look on Van's face.

"I'm not leaving him Deaq." She looked down at Van. "Why do you want me to leave Van? I only want to help you."

Van sucked in his breath and pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes trying to get the images out of his mind. He suddenly threw his hands down, raised his head, and glared at Billie.

"I want you to leave bitch because if you don't I'll rip your fucking heart out and eat it!" As soon as he said it he shut his eyes and shook his head sadly. "Oh God Billie I'm sorry, I don't know what made me say that." Tears filled his eyes as his head sank back into the pillow. All he wanted to do was wake up from this nightmare, but he didn't know how.

Billie and Deaq gave each other a worried glance. Both knew Van would never talk like that to a woman, especially Billie.

"It's okay Van." Billie said softly as she stepped back. There was no way she was leaving, but she thought it best if she kept her distance if her presence was irritating him.

The doctor came in with a bag of blood and hooked it up to an IV tube. He left with instructions that if they needed him for any reason they should have him paged. Van took a deep breath as the blood began dripping into him. He immediately felt a little relief but it didn't last for long. Soon he began to moan and thrash around on the bed. Deaq and Billie watched as he licked his dry cracked lips and looked at Deaq with pleading eyes. Deaq somehow knew what he needed. He grabbed the bag of blood and slit it open. Billie watched in horror as he held it up to Van so he could drink from it.

TBC


	9. Chapter 9

**Devil's Harvest Part 2**

Chapter nine

"God what are you doing?" Billie asked her eyes wide as she watched Van grab the bag of blood out of Deaq's hands and gulped it down.

"He needs it Billie." Tears filled Deaq's eyes. "I don't know what they did to him Billie but…he needs it to live."

Billie watched as Van finished the bag and lay back on the bed, his color already improving. He used the back of his hand to wipe off his blood covered mouth. Seeing Billie's shocked look he turned away disgusted by what he had just done in front of her.

"Now you know Billie…now you know why I can't live like this."

"Van…" She wasn't sure what to say. "We're going to help you, you got to believe that."

"How Billie? The blood helps…but only for a while…I just…I just want to die. I want this over with. I don't want to live like this."

"We're not going to let you die Van. We'll find a cure for this. And in the meantime…we'll see that you get the blood you need."

Van shook his head and looked at Deaq.

"You should have left me bleed to death Deaq."

"No way partner. I lost you once, I'm not losing you again."

"You don't understand…neither of you do…It's not just the blood…it's these horrible thoughts…thoughts of…thoughts of ripping both your throats out and drinking your blood." He said as he hitched in a sob and covered his eyes with his arm. "I don't want to hurt either of you, or anyone else. But these feeling are getting stronger and stronger and soon I won't be able to fight them."

"Van, one of us will stay with you until, well until we can figure out how to help you. We won't let you alone. We'll be here for you." Billie said. "We won't let you hurt anyone."

Van gave a little laugh.

"The only thing that will help me is if you put a bullet in my brain…Or if you can't do it, give me the gun and I will."

Billie and Deaq looked at each other, they knew Van was serious.

"Van." Billie said gently. "I hate to do this but I'm going to have to put you in protective custody for your own good. We'll keep you here in the hospital but I want…"

"No Billie…I can't be locked up! Please don't lock me up!" He said interrupting her.

"I'm sorry Van but it's for your own protection. We don't know what is going on with you and until we find a way to help you…"

Van threw back his head and laughed.

"Help me! How can you help me Billie?…There's nothing you can do but put me out of my misery." Van suddenly stopped laughing and glared at Billie. "You lock me up Billie I'll kill you and you too partner." He said looking over at Deaq.

"Van, you got to chill buddy…You got to fight these thoughts you've been having. Billie's right, you need to be protected and you need to be watched to make sure you don't hurt anyone including yourself. Billie and I will track down Jason and make him tell us how we can help you. You have to trust us Van, we're going to get you through this."

"Deaq." Van squeezed his eyes shut as he tried to stay in control of his thoughts. "Promise me…promise me if I try to hurt anyone you'll kill me."

"Van…I…" Deaq shook his head and looked down, how could he promise his partner that he'd end his life.

"Promise me Deaq!" Van shouted, grabbing Deaq's arm.

"Okay…okay…I promise, if you try to hurt anyone, and we can't stop you…I'll…I'll do it…I'll kill you." Deaq blinked back tears. He prayed it was a promise he wouldn't have to keep.

**Later that week **

Van had been placed in the prison ward of the hospital and Deaq and Billie took turns staying with him while the other one searched the streets for Jason or any sign of the other members of the coven. As the days went by Van became more and more violent and the only thing he could eat without getting sick was blood. He became so violent that finally they had to handcuff him to the bed to keep him from hurting himself, or anyone else. It hurt them to see Van in so much pain but they knew it had to be done to protect him from himself. And to make matters worse two more grisly murders had occurred in the last few days, meaning the coven was still operating in their area. The victims, a man and a woman, were found a day apart. Both had been sliced open and their internal organs removed. Even though Van wasn't told about the murders, for some reason he grew weaker with each one. They still gave him blood to drink from the blood bank but that didn't even seem to help anymore. The doctor had no explanations. All he could tell them was that Van's vital signs were growing weaker and there was nothing medically he could do for him. They tried force feeding him through tubes but nothing helped. Both Billie and Deaq sat by his bed pleading with him to try and fight what ever it was that was slowly taking him from them. But nothing they said or did made any difference. Eventually he lapsed into a coma.

"Oh God Billie what are we going to do? We're losing him." Deaq stood at Van's bed looking down into his partner's unconscious face.

"I don't know what to say Deaq, the doctors are doing everything they can for him. We have the whole department out looking for the coven but they seem to have just disappear into the air or something." Billie walked over and stood next to Deaq. She reached over and brushed Van's hair out of his face. "He looks so young, so vulnerable…" She said as her eyes filled up. She shook her head sadly and looked away.

Then what they had been dreading happened. Van's heart monitor alarm began to beep. Nurses immediately began running into the room followed soon by the doctor who immediately began CPR. They tried to usher Billie and Deaq out of the room but they wouldn't leave Van. They stood to the side and watched in stunned silence as the doctor began to try and shock Van's heart into beating. Each time the electricity hit Van his body would jump off the bed, but even that didn't help. Twenty minutes later the doctor looked over at them and shook his head sadly.

"I'm sorry…we've lost him."

Outside in the distance a dog could be heard howling mournfully.

TBC


	10. Chapter 10

**Devil's Harvest Part 2**

Chapter ten

**Four days later**

Deaq and Billie were still numb with shock and grief. They still couldn't accept the fact that Van was gone. He had always said he wanted to be cremated and only wanted a short memorial service and that is what was done. His father had been located and had attended the service. He sat next to Deaq his eyes downcast, never once looking up, his heart broken by the death of his son. They had decided to keep from him the actual circumstances surrounding Van's death. He was told that he had died in the line of duty.

"I never wanted him to become a cop, too dangerous." He said sadly to Deaq after the service. "He should have stayed in my business."

"He loved being a cop Ray, you know that. He lived for it. Just always remember he died doing something he loved."

Ray simply nodded, too emotional to speak. When he saw the tears in Deaq's eyes he pulled him into a hug.

"Van loved you, you and Billie both."

"I know Ray…we loved him too. I can't….I just can't believe he's gone. I keep expecting him to…" Deaq shook his head sadly and looked away.

Billie walked over and hugged Ray.

"I'm so sorry for your loss." She said trying her best not to cry but she wasn't successful, tears began streaming down her face. "Oh God I'm going to miss him." She sobbed.

He hugged her back, tears in his own eyes.

"We're all going to miss him Billie. Van was …special."

"Yes, he was."

The rest of the day was spent reminiscing about Van. There was laughter and tears and at the end of the day Van's ashes were turned over to his father.

**The Candy Store – the next day **

Deaq sat starring at the basketball court. The court where he and his partner spent a lot of their off time.

"Billie, I think I'm going back to New York."

"Deaq please don't go jumping into something you'll regret later."

"I don't think I'll regret it. It's …it's too quiet around here without…"

"Yeah, I know what you mean." She said as she reached for a cigarette and lit it.

"Hey, don't start that up again. It's going to be harder to quit the second time around…You know Van and I had an on going bet on what would make you start smoking again. I guess we found out what it was."

"I'll give up the cigarettes if you give up the booze." She gave him a sad smile. "I've been smelling it on you ever since…"

"Yeah, I guess we both need something to help us get by."

"Please Deaq, just reconsider the New York thing. I need you here. This is your home now."

"I'll think about it Billie but I wasn't going to leave right away, at least not till we get the bastards who did this to Van. I'm going to bring them down, Billie."

**Later that week**

Deaq and Billie joined the rest of the police force as they searched the back alleys where most of the victim's bodies had been found. They drove through out the night patrolling the alleys in hope of finding something related to the coven.

The murders continued, one every three days. Most of the victims were prostitutes and homeless since they were the easiest for the coven to grab. The rest of L.A. stayed at home behind locked doors,or if they had to go out they went out in groups.

Finally two weeks after Van's death, while driving at night by a dark unlit alley, Deaq saw the two black dogs again. They stood at the entrance to the alley as if guarding it. He parked his car and headed toward them. As he approached, they stood their ground. Their lips curled back as he neared them and he could hear a low warning growl. He pulled his gun and stood looking down the alley into the darkness. He could make our figures moving around at the far end of the alley but couldn't see who they were or what they were doing. He tried to move closer but the dogs wouldn't allow it. He pulled out his flashlight and shined it down the alley.

"This is the police! What's going on down there?" He shouted into the darkness.

The figures seemed to stop what ever it was they were doing and then one by one seemed to disappear. The dogs looked up at Deaq, slime dripping from their snarling mouths. After all the figures had disappeared the dogs turned and ran off. Deaq could swear he saw a flash of red in their eyes just before they turned. He quickly ran down the alley and searched for any sign of what the figures might have been doing. His flashlight lit up a small pool of blood with drops leading to a manhole cover which led down into the sewers.

"So that's where you've been hiding." Deaq said out loud to himself. He pulled out his cell phone and called Billie. When she picked up the line began cracking with static making it difficult to hear.

"Billie?"

"Is that you Deaq?"

"Yeah, I can hardly hear you Billie. I found them, they're in the sewers. 600 block of Wilcox." He shouted into the phone hoping he was getting through.

"What? I can't hear you?"

"The sewers, they're in the sewers! 600 Wilcox!

"Deaq?...Deaq?..."

"The sewers!" He yelled one last time before the phone went dead. "Damn it!"

He knew he should wait for backup but also knew he couldn't. The coven had disappeared before and he couldn't chance that happening again. As quietly as he could he removed the man hole cover and began his descent into darkness. Once down he kept his flashlight aimed directly at the floor in front of him hoping that the light wouldn't alert them to his presence. Off in the distance he heard what sounded like chanting and quietly headed toward the sound.

**Candy Store **

Billie took the small tape out of the phone. For security reasons she always taped her phone conversations and now she was glad she did. If it was Deaq on the phone she needed to know what he had said, from the tone of his voice he sounded excited. She took the tape over to a voice enhancer she had had installed in the Candy Store. It saved a lot of time not having to run to the precinct every time she wanted a tape checked out. She popped the tape in and began fiddling with the dials trying to get a clear audio of the person's voice on the tape and eliminate the background noise.

**The sewers **

Deaq inched his way toward the sound. As he got closer to the voices he could see a glow coming from around the bend up ahead. He turned off his flashlight and walked quickly toward the light. Once there he peaked around the corner. What he saw horrified him. Members of the coven, clothed in black hooded robes stood around a table where their victim lay sliced open. Deaq knew there was no way he could help her, she was obviously dead. The coven members were reaching into the victim's body and pulling out hunks of organs and flesh and devouring it. Some of them put pieces of the meat in a bowl and took it over to, who Deaq assumed was their leader, and offered it to him. He took the bowls and ate. Deaq sucked in his breath when he noticed the two black dogs he had seen before at the accident sitting on either side of the man. The man occasionally threw some of the meat to the dogs that greedily devoured it. Other members of the coven threw scraps of the body to three other hooded figures who sat against a wall. They fought over the scraps, each coming away with a handful. Deaq's face wrinkled in disgust. He knew there were too many of them for him to attempt anything and that he needed to call for back up. He slowly started to back away. He'd go up to the street and get help. But as he backed away he felt the blade of a knife pressed against his throat.

"Drop it or I'll slit your throat." The voice behind him said. For an instant he thought of fighting the person behind him, but knew as soon as he turned around the other members of the coven would pounce on him. He reluctantly dropped his gun. He then was forced into the chamber and tried to keep his eyes from the mutilated corpse in front of him. A lone figure approached him.

"So nice of you to join us Officer Hayes." He said as he pulled back his hood, it was Jason.

Deaq glared at him, his face filled with hate. He was the one responsible for what had happened to his partner.

"How do you like our little party?"

"You sick son of a bitch! You killed my partner!" Deaq said as he clenched his fists. He wanted nothing more then getting his hands around Jason's throat.

"Ahhh, but you're wrong. Yes, your partner died, but he had to die in order to be born into his new life."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"You see your partner's body wasn't cremated like you thought. It was brought here." Jason nodded toward one of the hooded figures sitting against the wall. "Come forward." He ordered. The robed figure walked over and Jason pulled back his hood. It was Van.

"Oh my God Van!" Deaq tried to step forward but was held back. Tears of joy ran down his face as he realized his partner was still alive, or was he? Van stood in front of him more like a zombie then his partner, a glassy look in his bloodshot eyes. His face, lacking any color, was pasty white covered with the blood of the victim he had just helped devour. "Oh God Van what did they do to you?" He said sadly then spun his head toward Jason. "What the hell did you do to him!"

"We brought him back to life." He said simply.

"What's wrong with him?" Deaq asked when Van didn't even acknowledge him.

"Oh your partner's been a bad boy. You see he's eaten the flesh and blood of our sacrifices, but for him to truly be one of us he must make his own kill and so far he's refused to. Oh, he's had opportunity the last few days but he will not kill. But tonight…" Jason smiled. "You will be his first kill." Jason looked toward the coven. "Get him ready!" He commanded. Deaq fought them but there were too many of them. They removed the woman's body and strapped him down to the sacrificial table. They ripped open his shirt exposing his chest and stomach. Van was then led over till he stood next to the table.

Jason walked over to their leader Malcolm and spoke to him. He was then handed a long heavy blade which he dipped in a bucket of blood and handed it to Van.

"Tonight you will join us forever." Jason said. "Kill him so that we may consume his flesh and be one."

"Van! It's me your partner! It's me Deaq!" Deaq couldn't stop himself from trembling in fear, Van's face had a blank look on it and he knew he wasn't reaching him.

Van looked at the knife then at Deaq.

"You can't do it Van! You know you can't do it!"

"Kill, kill, kill…" the coven began chanting.

"Van no! You don't want to do it!" Deaq shouted then turned his head to the side and squeezed his eyes shut when he saw Van raise the knife, he waited for the agony to come. But when the chants ended suddenly he opened his eyes to see why. The same large white dog he had seen at the accident stood at the entrance to the chamber then slowly began walking closer to the sacrificial table. The members backed away terrified.

"Kill him!" Jason screamed to Van who, with hands shaking, began to bring the knife down. The white dog suddenly leaped between Van and Deaq, the knife plunging deep into his side. He fell to the floor covered in blood the knife protruding from his body. The entire coven began to softly chant again as Malcolm rose from his chair and pointed toward the injured dog. The two black dogs rose and began to slowly walk toward the fallen animal their eyes glowing red, a deep low growl coming from their throats. Deaq continued trying to free himself while the coven stood transfixed by the scene in front of them. The white dog's body began to glow as the knife in him began to slowly vanish. Just as the two dogs were about to attack the white dog got to its feet and the chanting immediately stopped. The dogs hesitated, uncertain whether to attack or not.

"Kill him!" Malcolm shouted to his pets.

The dogs began circling the white dog looking for a way in. Their red eyes grew brighter and brighter and their lips curled back displaying long bloody fangs but they didn't move closer. The white dog ignored them and began walking slowly toward Malcolm who kept screaming for his dogs to attack. They followed the glowing dog but kept their distance as if they knew they didn't stand a chance against it. Malcolm's eyes were wide with terror and as the dog approached he backed up till he hit the wall behind him and couldn't go any further.

"Kill him!" He screamed over and over but the black dogs only followed the white dog at a safe distance obviously respectful of the power the dog seemed to have. A few members of the coven picked up weapons and started to quietly approach the dog from behind but he heard them and looked over his shoulder. Their weapons were suddenly ripped from their grasp and tossed in a corner. Van backed away from the sacrificial table and slowly made his way over to the two other members of the cult who he had been standing with while waiting for the scraps of flesh to be thrown to them. The two members, who like him never made a kill of their own, were considered outcasts of the coven. He sat on the floor with them watching the scene play out before him. Deaq continued struggling to free himself, uncertain to what was going to happen.

Jason sensing something was about to happen started to back his way out of the chamber but was stopped when Billie and the police showed up. He was grabbed and handcuffed and shoved back into the room. The police then kept their weapons trained on the coven members while Billie hurried over to free Deaq.

"Billie…Van's alive!" Deaq said once he was free.

"What?" She said as tears started filling her eyes. "He's alive?"

"Don't ask me how, but he's alive." He nodded his head toward his partner who sat huddled against the wall with the other two members.

"Van." Billie said as she approached him. Deaq quickly grabbed her arm holding her back.

"Billie…he might hurt you."

"Hurt me?"

"He's not himself Billie, he's worse then he was in the hospital. I don't know if we'll be able to get him back."

"What's going on Deaq?"

Deaq explained what had happened. How the members had disemboweled a woman and were consuming her when he got there, even Van. And how Van was suppose to sacrifice him but the white dog had stopped him.

"What is it?" Billie asked looking at the glowing dog now standing directly in front of Malcolm.

"I don't know Billie…All I know is that I don't think it will hurt us…only them."

Malcolm reached behind him and grabbed a long spear. He held it over his head and brought it down to within an inch of the dog. The tip of the spear began to glow white and the glow traveled up the spear until it touched Malcolm's hand. He screamed in agony as the glow soon covered his entire body. His body suddenly burst into flames and he was consumed by the fire. Once Malcolm was dead the two black dogs fell to the ground dead also, a black mist came out of each of them and disappeared into the sewer. The white dog then began walking by each of the members of the coven who also were consumed by the flames, one by one. The police backed away allowing the dog plenty of room. Jason started screaming as he saw the dog approach knowing he was next. The dog simply past by him and he also immediately burst into flames. The dog then headed toward Van.

"No! Please!" Deaq shouted to the animal who turned and looked at him. "My partner never killed anyone. He doesn't deserve to die."

The dog wagged its tail but continued toward the remaining members then stopped in front of them. It began to glow even brighter as it stood there, highlighting the only remaining members of the coven still alive. But instead of bursting into flames a pale blue light surrounded them. When the light faded the dog simply turned and walked out of the room. All eyes in the room watched the dog leave, no one daring to stop it. No one fully understood what had just happened, only that it had.

Deaq and Billie cautiously walked toward Van and the two men who still sat huddled on the floor.

"Van?" Billie said softly.

Van turned his face toward her. His color was back and he looked as healthy as he had before any of this had happened.

"Billie?"

"Hey partner." Deaq leaned down, a big smile on his face when he saw how well Van looked.

"Hey." Van said quietly as he looked down at himself confused as to what had happened and why he was wearing a robe. He looked at the two men next to him and could see that they were equally confused. "What's going on?" He asked looking back and forth between Billie and Deaq.

"What do you remember?" Billie asked.

"I…I'm not sure…I think I remember being at the Candy Store…but …how did I get here?...And why am I dressed like this?...What the hell's going on?"

Billie walked over and hugged him and kissed his cheek.

"It's so good to have you back Van." She said blinking back tears.

"Back? From where?"

Deaq walked over and put his arm around Van's shoulder.

"Boy, do I have a story to tell you partner." He then put his other arm around Billie and headed out of the room followed by the two other men.

**Epilogue**

Two cats sat on a dumpster in the alley and watched the police rope off the crime scene, never noticing the black mist that came out of the manhole and snaked its way toward them. As the mist touched them their eyes glowed briefly red and they turned as one and ran into the night.

The End

Thanks for the reviews; I really like to read them. I hope you're not too disappointed with the ending. I'm leaving for vacation and I wanted this finished before Halloween.


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